The Wisconsin Badgers basketball team has made their way into the 2023 NCAA NIT as a two seed. Ahead of the Badgers first round match against Bradley, coach Greg Gard spoke to the media about the state of the Badgers. The Wisconsin coach seemed confident about the direction the team will take ahead of the tournament.
Wisconsin’s Greg Gard Focused On The Bigger Picture
After the 2023 NCAA Tournament field of 68 was announced and the Badgers were not included, the NIT seemed very likely. Wisconsin has struggled with their consistency this season as the team has not won consecutive games since January 3rd. Despite the team struggling as of late, coach Greg Gard expects the Badgers to play competitive basketball in their NIT appearance.
Greg Gard said he's not playing around with lineups on Tuesday and experimenting with new guys. NIT is an extension of the 2022-23 season for #Badgers.
"We're in this thing to try and win. We're not doing this as a recreational activity."
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) March 13, 2023
Evan Flood of 247 Sports announced that coach Gard will not experiment with the lineup ahead of the NIT. Rather, the team is expected to utilize the same players, minutes, and basketball against Bradley. Flood noted that Greg Gard will view the Badgers’ time in the NIT as an extension of the 2022-23 season for Wisconsin. As Gard stated, Wisconsin will not view the tournament as a “recreational activity”, and rather serious competition.
The Wisconsin Badgers basketball team and coach Greg Gard seem confident in finishing their season off on a better note than the Ohio State loss. The Big Ten Conference Tournament was originally where the Badgers were going to break out and put everything together this season. However, the team struggled to get the offense together and mounted a comeback far too late.
Greg Gard said he felt it was important to give #Badgers another chance to play and continue to grow, propel his team towards 2023-24.
"This can definitely be advantageous."
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) March 13, 2023
Coach Gard also felt that it was necessary to give the young Badgers team another chance to develop themselves ahead of the 2023-24 season. The NIT is a competitive environment, and while it does not have the prestige of “March Madness”, it can serve as a major win for certain programs. Wisconsin is fresh and eager to prove themselves again before officially ending their season. Securing another win or two for a younger team can help mount confidence ahead of their upcoming success next season.
2023 NIT: Can Gard Motivate Wisconsin To A Win?
The Wisconsin Badgers basketball team has proven this season that they have the ability to compete with high-level teams. Now, coach Gard will give his team another chance to prove themselves this year against tough competition. Bradley enters the NIT at 25-9 after losing in their conference championship game. Bradley is also out to prove themselves, as smaller schools use the NIT as their proving grounds. The Badgers certainly will not be able to walk through these games.
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Earlier in the season, Greg Gard pressured his team to be more assertive and aggressive on the court. The Wisconsin Badgers will need to take his advice to heart if they want to advance ahead in the tournament. Wisconsin had a difficult time taking good shots against Ohio State and when the team was frustrated, they let in easy baskets. As Gard also mentioned earlier this year young teams often have difficulty playing up to the same level each night. The Badgers will have to learn from their mistakes this season against Bradley to prevent the game from getting out of hand.
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